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College of Arts & Sciences

Conflict Resolution

Why pursue a conflict resolution degree at North Central College?

A conflict resolution minor offers a one-of-a-kind leadership, ethics and values skillset that stands out. Anyone who works with others will face the need for conflict resolution, making it a highly important skill in leadership and business. This program will make you a sought-after addition to any organization.

At North Central College, you’ll master negotiation and interpersonal communication skills, explore the field of alternative dispute and examine social impact. This program will prepare you for graduate school or a wide range of careers like a professional mediator, human resources professional, attorney, social worker or corporate professional.

IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN

  • Problem-solving complex internal communication issues
  • Mastering negotiation and dispute resolution
  • Mediating between individuals or groups within organizations

then a minor in CONFLICT RESOLUTION might be for you.

Why study conflict resolution at North Central College?

In the Classroom

Coursework topics:

  • Business and Professional Communication
  • Business Law
  • Conflict Resolution
  • Ethnic and Religious Conflict Resolution
  • Intercultural Communication
  • Interpersonal Communication
  • Law
  • Philosophy of Law
  • Professional Ethics
  • Urban problems

Beyond the Classroom

As a conflict resolution minor, you can:

  • Apply for internships and jobs through robust faculty and alumni networks or the Center for Career and Professional Development.
  • Gain valuable experience by interning in North Central’s Dispute Resolution Center, which provides mediation and consulting services to students and the community through its Peer Mediation Program.
  • Apply for membership to the national Blue Key Honor Society, which recognizes exemplary leadership.
  • Develop your personal and professional leadership skills through the NCC Lead.
  • Apply for a Richter Grant to fund original research anywhere in the world, or a Mironda K. Heston Scholarship to fund human rights and service projects.
  • Present the findings of your research at the College’s Rall Symposium for Undergraduate Research.
  • Take advantage of numerous leadership opportunities through student government and other campus organizations.
  • Pursue a five-year bachelor’s/master’s program in leadership studies or consider the College’s Master of Leadership Studies degree after graduation

More Department information

Conflict Resolution Minor

This minor offers students applied interdisciplinary and pre-professional preparation to engage in a variety of conflict resolution models including negotiation, mediation and facilitation. Additionally, it complements academic majors in a variety of disciplines in which students may seek graduate education, including law, political science, psychology and human resources.

For additional information and courses in this program, see Leadership, Ethics and Values.

Minor Requirements

A minimum of 20 credit hours, including:

Conflict Resolution Minor

This minor offers students applied interdisciplinary and pre-professional preparation to engage in a variety of conflict resolution models including negotiation, mediation and facilitation. Additionally, it complements academic majors in a variety of disciplines in which students may seek graduate education, including law, political science, psychology and human resources.

For additional information and courses in this program, see .

A minimum of 20 credit hours, including:

  • LEAD 100 - Design Thinking for Social Impact

    LEAD 100 - Design Thinking for Social Impact

    4.00 credit hours

    As members of a diverse and global community, we face a variety of complex social issues. Students will learn the theory and practice of human-centered design, a creative approach to problem-solving that leads students through a process to empathize, define, ideate, prototype, and test their ideas. Through readings, case studies, hands-on activities, field experiences, and interaction with community leaders and residents, students will develop the mindset and toolkit needed to create innovative solutions for change, regardless of the discipline or field of study they pursue. Students will identify local social or environmental challenges and work collaboratively to address them through the design thinking process.

    Schedule Of Classes

  • LEAD 230 - Conflict Resolution

    LEAD 230 - Conflict Resolution

    4.00 credit hours

    An inquiry into the theories and skills relating to the resolution of conflict in the community and the workplace. A variety of approaches will be used to understand and analyze issues and develop skills including lecture/discussion, negotiation exercises and simulated mediations. The course will focus on developing the ability to practice as a mediator.

    Schedule Of Classes

  • LEAD 350 - Ethnic and Religious Conflict Resolution

    LEAD 350 - Ethnic and Religious Conflict Resolution

    4.00 credit hours

    Students discover the origins of and build a conceptual framework for understanding ethnic and religious conflict. The approach will be interdisciplinary and examine the central causes, consequences, and ultimately solutions for resolving ethnic and religious conflict. We will use numerous case studies to explore the key conceptual and theoretical areas and questions within the field. The reading is plentiful, but thought provoking, and should enable you to explore the dynamics of global conflict with greater rigor and precision. Come prepared for a stimulating academic experience.

    Schedule Of Classes

  • LEAD 394 - Conflict Resolution Practicum

    LEAD 394 - Conflict Resolution Practicum

    4.00 credit hours

    An advanced, skills-oriented course focusing on the resolution of actual, rather than simulated conflicts. The course continues the conflict resolution theory and skill development commenced in LEAD 230 by applying both to conflicts on the college campus and eventually, in community courts and businesses. The course continues the LEAD 230 focus on developing the ability to practice as a mediator.

    Schedule Of Classes

  • PHIL 210 - Professional Ethics

    PHIL 210 - Professional Ethics

    4.00 credit hours

    Professional ethics in selected career fields including law, business and biomedicine. Students may apply basic concepts to the career of their choice, relate their personal ethics to professional ethics and become better informed consumers of professional services. This course begins with an examination of the alternative bases for making moral judgments.

    Schedule Of Classes

Conflict Resolution Internships and Jobs

A North Central education integrates career preparation with rich academic study. Our faculty encourages you to refine and apply your knowledge in an interconnected world. Here you'll learn to think independently and work globally to solve problems and lead.

Internships

  • Intern, Dispute Resolution Center, North Central College
  • Intern, Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA), Geneva, IL
  • Intern, law offices of Jeffrey Knuckles, Naperville
  • Intern, Sears Roebuck Office of Professional Ethics, Hoffman Estates, IL

Graduate Schools

Recent graduates of conflict resolution have been accepted at:

  • Hamline University
  • Pepperdine University
  • University of Missouri
  • DePaul University College of Law

Careers

Recent graduates of conflict resolution include:

  • Professional mediator
  • Human resources professional
  • Private attorney
  • Corporate or higher education professional
  • Family counselor
  • School social worker
     

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